It’s been almost 10 years since we’ve had a non-James Bond film directed by Sam Mendes. The acclaimed director of films like “American Beauty,” “Road to Perdition,” and “Revolutionary Road” has been stuck chronicling the adventures of the suave superspy for his most recent films. But his next feature is without James Bond (obviously since Danny Boyle is next on the list) and has the producing power of Steven Spielberg behind it.
According to Deadline, Mendes will helm the World War I film, “1917,” next. No word on the specific plot of the flim, but we do know that in addition to directing the film, Mendes is credited as co-writing the film with Krysty Wilson-Cairns. Surprisingly, this marks the first film by Sam Mendes where he’s credited as screenwriter. Wilson-Cairns, on the other hand, has been writing for a while, on projects such as “Penny Dreadful” and “The Voyeur’s Motel.”
“I couldn’t be happier to be back working with Amblin and Steven Spielberg again, alongside Donna Langley and all at Universal. I’ve been working on this script for over a year, so it’s very exciting to start making the movie itself a reality,” said Mendes.
Spielberg chimed in, saying, “Our company has been a home for Sam since his first film. I am so happy to have him back here in his old room spinning new stories – especially this hugely daring and ambitious new movie.”
The report states that Mendes is looking to begin production on “1917” starting next April for a planned December 2019 release date. Clearly, judging by that release, Spielberg and Mendes think they have something special planned and are positioning “1917” for awards consideration.